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Parents

Homeless Students

Every student experiencing homelessness or living in temporary housing situations as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act shall have access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students who are not homeless or experiencing temporary housing situations. This commitment to the educational rights of homeless children, youth, and unaccompanied youth, is applied to all services, programs, and activities provided or made available in Ankeny Schools.

In accordance with 281 IAC Chapter 33, the Ankeny Community School District is required to give written notice to homeless children and families if the district is going to deny access to their educational programs. Homeless children and families may obtain free legal services by contacting:

Iowa Legal Aid
1111 9th Street – Suite 230
Des Moines, Iowa 50314
1-800-532-1275

A student may be considered eligible for services under law if he or she is presently lacking a fixed, regular or adequate nighttime residence, such as:

  1. A child or youth who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; or is abandoned in a hospital;
  2. A child or youth who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
  3. A child or youth who is living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
  4. A migratory child or youth who qualifies as homeless because the child or youth is living in circumstances described in paragraphs “1” through “3” above.